Lahat ng Kabanata ng Dear husband I can live without you : Kabanata 121 - Kabanata 130

Anna strode through the front doors of Gerald’s penthouse with quiet majesty, her hips swaying in a rhythm that could have commanded an orchestra. Draped over her shoulder was a black coat, shielding the secret of what lay beneath.“Anna!” Xander’s eyes lit up the instant he saw her. He was perched in his chair, chuckling at one of his favorite TV shows.“Grandpa! How are you?” Anna hurried to him and wrapped her arms around him in a warm, familiar hug.He squeezed her gently, his voice carrying both delight and reproach. “So nice to see you again after you left us without a word.”“I’m sorry, Grandpa Xander.” Anna pouted, her lips pressing into a soft bow.“I understand,” Xander sighed, though a smile tugged at his lips. “But I miss you and my little friend.”“Aiden misses you too. He’ll come spend a day with you one of these days.”“Oh, I would love that!” Xander grinned wide, his eyes glimmering like a child promised candy.“Where’s Gerald?” Anna’s gaze swept the spacious living ro

“Baby, you don’t need to go with me,” Vivian said, tapping powder gently across her cheeks as she studied her reflection in the mirror.Erick leaned against the dresser, arms folded, his brows pulled into a stubborn line. “I don’t need to go, Viv. But I want to.”Vivian turned around, startled by the firmness in his tone. The powder brush dangled loosely between her fingers as she blinked at him, searching for the right words. Erick had been talking about accompanying her ever since he heard her sister was getting married, but she had dismissed it every single time. She thought he was only teasing—his way of nudging into places she didn’t want him.Yet that morning, as she packed her travel bag, he showed up not with a casual smile or a passing hello—but with a suitcase of his own.“You’ve been insisting you don’t want me there,” Erick pressed, his jaw tightening. “Is there something you don’t want me to see?”“No… no, honey,” Vivian stammered, forcing a light laugh that didn’t quite

Anna cradled Vivian’s head in her lap, stroking her hair with slow, gentle fingers. Her other hand moved in steady circles across Vivian’s back, offering comfort with each tender pat. For what felt like hours, she whispered soft words—fragments of encouragement, quiet assurances that she was safe now, that she wasn’t alone.Anna had known Vivian nearly a decade. They’d laughed, fought, and grown together. But never—not once—had she glimpsed this side of her. Vivian, the one who never failed to brighten a room, whose laughter was infectious, whose wit always cut tension in half. That woman had been a mask. A carefully constructed fortress hiding wounds too deep for anyone to imagine.The thought stung Anna’s chest.Vivian sniffed and lifted her face at last, her lashes wet and clumped together. She rubbed the heel of her palm under her eyes, trying to push away the rawness. “You see, Anna… you’ve always asked me why I was so… promiscuous back in college.” Her voice cracked on the word,

“Please come back home… I miss you,” Andy said, his voice low, uncertain, almost trembling.Anna clapped her hands once, laughing so suddenly that the sound echoed through the air like shattered glass. “Are you joking right now?” she asked between laughs, her smile fading into a look of disbelief. “You can’t be serious.”But Andy didn’t flinch. His eyes—once proud and cold—now looked haunted. “I regret everything I did,” he said quietly, remorse thick in his tone.Anna folded her arms under her chest, head slightly tilted. “Did you miss your way?” she asked dryly.Silence.She snapped her fingers in front of his face. “Helloooo?” she mocked. “Andy, it’s me. Anna. The woman you called a nobody. The woman you trampled on every chance you got. Ring a bell?”Andy’s lips parted, but no words came at first. His eyes shimmered with something between shame and desperation. “I know…” he said finally, his voice cracking.He had come because regret was eating him alive. Penelope’s deception had

Anna drew a slow breath before stepping into the office where Ethan Voss and Big Kay were waiting. The heavy glass door clicked behind her, sealing her inside the sleek, chilled room that smelled faintly of leather, espresso, and male perfume.“Finally!” Big Kay’s deep voice burst through the air the moment he saw her. “The queen of the screen herself!”His grin was wide and mischievous, gold rings flashing as he clapped his hands together.Anna smiled softly, her fatigue hidden behind the kind of composure only a woman used to long, chaotic days could carry. “Hi, Kay,” she greeted, polite but calm.“Oh my God—” Big Kay gasped dramatically, rising from his chair. “You’re even more beautiful in person.” He shook her hand with exaggerated awe.“Thanks for the compliment,” she said, her tone gracious though restrained.She took a seat beside Ethan Voss, directly opposite Big Kay, who was grinning like he’d just found his new obsession.“I saw the gifts,” she began, her voice even. “Thank